Discover the Thrill of a
Family Getaway
Discover that the best family vacation photos aren't taken through the
window of a minivan. In a brand-new Cessna Stationair, every
single weekend becomes your chance for a family getaway. Without ever
hearing the dreaded words "Are we there yet?" Call 1 (800)
4-CESSNA.
Or visit
CessnaYouAreHere.com.

ELECTRIC
POWER FOR EXPERIMENTALS, PERHAPS LSA'SRandall Fishman won
last year's AirVenture Oshkosh Grand Champion Ultralight and Innovation
award for his ElectraFlyer Ultralight, but his latest project at this
year's AirVenture may win even more attention from the ranks of
certificated pilots. Fishman has about six flights on his
ElectraFlyer-C. With real-world experience behind him, plus calculations
in front of him, Fishman believes he may have in this aircraft a
single-place experimental that can fly at about 70 mph for up to one
hour on batteries alone -- provided the pilot chooses to land with a
half hour's power in reserve. Maximum endurance under power (calculated,
and to be proven by further flight testing) is expected to be near 90
minutes. Fuel cost for that flight? Less than 75 cents. The aircraft is
scheduled to be front and center at AirVenture Oshkosh this year, but
Fishman told AVweb last week that his eyes are on a bigger prize
-- a larger, more powerful, electric LSA. More...

Cirrus Perspective by
Garmin: A New Beginning for General Aviation
As a pilot, you sit in a cockpit and experience the world in ways others
can only imagine. As leaders in technology and innovation, Cirrus
and Garmin sat in the cockpit together and imagined how to
redesign the flying experience. Together they have re-imagined the
pilot-airplane interface, and as a result, revolutionized general
aviation.
See the result at
CirrusDesign.com.

PIPERJET
TESTING 'IMMINENT'Piper officials say the first engine start
of their proof-of-concept PiperJet very light jet is "imminent" and
it'll be flying by no later than this fall. In a podcast interview with AVweb on Friday, VP of
Sales Bob Kromer said the first aircraft's airframe has been through all
the static testing required before first flight and easily handled the
+3.8g and -1.5g loads that will be the aircraft's normal design limits.
Kromer, a former engineering test pilot, said development of the
proof-of-concept aircraft went smoothly and the jet is now out of the
jigs, sitting on its gear with all systems ready. More...

DIAMOND
DA40XL FLIES 2250 NM LEGA Diamond Star DA40XL successfully
flew a 16=hour, 52-minute, 2250-nm nonstop leg from Japan to Nome,
Alaska, as part of an around-the-world flight that began May 11 at
Diamond's London, Ontario, facility. The trip for new owner Marc Aurel
Lehman was facilitated by an extra fuel tank and the company of
Karl-Heinz Maxwitat. On an adventure that took them through Croatia,
Greece, Kuwait, Dubai, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, Alaska and
Northern Canada, the two men added 150 flight hours to their logs and
witnessed more than 20,000 nautical miles of world geography. With the
aircraft's return to London, it will now enjoy some factory maintenance
and a G1000 upgrade to take advantage of the Garmin's synthetic vision
technology and digital sightseeing. Following the upgrade, Lehman has
planned a flight to Europe that should include stops in St. John's and
the Azores. Piloting an around-the-world flight has been my dream
since I received some flight training lessons for my birthday in
2004, said Lehman ... who now seems due for a new dream.
More...

Do You Have Enough Life
Insurance?
The truth is most people do not. Studies show that 40% of adult
Americans have no life insurance whatsoever and over 50 million people
in this country lack adequate life insurance. Pilot Insurance
Center can help you protect your family with full-coverage life
insurance and no aviation exclusions. PIC specializes in
providing pilots  from student to ATP  with the life
insurance protection they need. For a personalized quote, call
PIC today at 1 (800) 380-8376 or
visit online.

CONCERNS LEAD TO CANCELLATION OF RED BULL RACEMoving the
location of the course "compromises the safety and quality of the race,"
according to Red Bull, and so the race originally scheduled for July 5
and 6 in Stockholm, Sweden, will not take place. The Red Bull Air Race
World Series has thrilled crowds worldwide with its high-energy
display of extremely precise low-altitude racing that pits each pilot's
time against the others' as they fly through a course of inflated
pylons. So far, the race has been free of any serious accidents. Pilots
enter the course near redline and routinely pull close to 10 G's while
flying. Red Bull hopes to continue its safety trend but a late change to
the race's location in Stockholm prompted series officials to cancel
operations there, suggesting there are some situations that persuade
even the best pilots in the world not to fly. Close attention to the
news release from Red Bull, which states that both safety and the
"quality" of the race would be affected by the move, suggests that at
least two variables led to the cancellation. But speaking for Red Bull,
Bernd Loidl, CEO of the air races, said "safety is paramount for an
event of this scale and we are proud of our strong safety standards and
track record of 33 successful races around the world."
More...

INSURANCE
WOES HALT CANADIAN INTRODUCTORY FLIGHTSCanadian Owners and
Pilots Association (COPA) has announced that due to complications with
EAA liability insurance requirements it has imposed a temporary
suspension of all its introductory flights. The notice, announced in
May, was "amplified" in COPA's June newsletter to clarify that, "Under
no circumstances should COPA Flights carry out any other forms of group
introductory flights, at this time, and until further notice." That
includes all COPA group introductory flight events -- not just those
associated with EAA Young Eagles flights. All group flights must cease
until further notice. In the past, an agreement with EAA had allowed
COPA to conduct the flights. But according to COPA, EAA has "reviewed
its liability insurance and tightened up on the requirements, resulting
in a policy that only EAA members can fly Young Eagles Flights." COPA
says EAA now requires it to name EAA as an insured party on its
insurance and meeting that requirement has proven more difficult than
expected. More...

Fly With Bose® Aviation
Headset X
Enjoy an unmatched combination of full-spectrum noise reduction, clearer
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GAMA GOES GREENThe General Aviation Manufacturers
Association (GAMA) has established an Environment Committee to represent
general aviation in the theater of environmental policy and government
and to ensure participation in research and policy making. Speaking for
GAMA, GAMA Chairman and Cirrus chief Alan Klapmeier, said "it is
imperative that the entire industry focus on its common objective of
rational, science-based environmental policies that allow all sectors to
grow even as they reduce their environmental impact." GAMA intends to
become a leader in providing environmental data from which analysis can
be gleaned. It has selected Steven Ridolfi, president of Bombardier
Business Aircraft, based in Montreal, to chair the new committee.
Ridolfi also serves as a GAMA board member and was selected for his
"unique blend of knowledge and experience," according to Klapmeier. GAMA
president Pete Bunce added that aviation's carbon footprint has
improved. "The general aviation manufacturing industry has a powerful
record of technological advancements that has brought about a 50 percent
improvement in specific fuel consumption of business jet engines since
they were first introduced during the 1960s," said Bunce.
More...

NATCA:
FAA AND CONTROLLERS AGREE EVEN LESSA new work rules proposal
offered to the nation's air traffic controllers by the FAA, while
discussion of trainee attrition rates took place in Washington, proposes
"to resolve even fewer of the outstanding articles" and refuses to
change position on "the most important issue: air traffic controller pay
bands," according to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
(NATCA). As a result, NATCA has rejected the FAA's offer, Doug Church,
NATCA director of communications, announced Friday. In a written response to FAA acting administrator, Robert
Sturgell, NATCA president Patrick Forrey called the FAA's gesture "just
another tactic to delay the only true resolution," which he says would
be "a return to good faith negotiations" and a collective bargaining
agreement that could be ratified by NATCA's membership. Forrey invites
Sturgell to meet for negotiations and outlines an eight-point strategy
with the goal of reaching a voluntary agreement or binding decision via
an objective arbitration board. More...

JA Air Center, Your Garmin
Source
GPSMap 495 and 496 have AOPA Directory and terrain. 496 includes
automotive directions and XM weather and music. Have an old GPS? Do
not let it lose its value! Call (800) 323-5966 for the
current value.

NEW
TURBINE CLEANER, MORE EFFICIENTThe gas turbine engine is due
for an overhaul and Engineers at Purdue University have reached the
testing stage of the wave rotor combustion turbine, a new generation of
gas turbine engines. They say the engine is about 15-20% more efficient
and could cut carbon dioxide emissions in aircraft by 20 percent or more
over traditional gas turbine engines now in use. According to NASA, the
wave rotor combustion turbine derives its efficiency from a rotating
core that is exposed to hot and cold flow which keeps its mean
temperature considerably lower than the peak cycle temperature. Leading
the project is Razi Nalim, P.E., Ph.D., associate professor of
Mechanical Engineering at Indiana University-Purdue University
Indianapolis (IUPUI). Our goal is to design an alternative to the
gas turbine application that is just as reliable, but cleaner, more
efficient, and more powerful," said Nalim. "It will not only help reduce
fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in traditional
applications like airplanes and power generation, but a lighter, more
efficient engine may allow Boeing to design an aerospace plane to carry
us all the way to outer space and return safely to earth.
More...

Is Your Certificate at Risk?
Legal claims for airspace incursions have increased over 150%. The
AOPA Legal Services Plan provides protection in a variety of
situations where you might need legal support. Plus, the Plan
gives you unlimited consultation on most aviation matters covered by
the Plan and an annual review of key aviation documents. Call
(800) USA-AOPA, or
go online to enroll.

AVWEB
INSIDER BLOG: AVIATION REGULATORS NEED TO EMBRACE
TECHNOLOGYLive-saving aviation technologies are
available--if only the road from tech to flight deck wasn't so long and
slow. In the latest installment of our informative and opinionated
AVweb Insider blog, contributing editor Mary Grady is as baffled
as the rest of us with the frustrating gap between inspiration and
implementation. More...

Between Wheels Up and Wheels
Down, There Is One Important Word: How
As the team managing the FAA AFSS system, Lockheed Martin serves
nearly 90,000 general aviation pilots every week. Providing timely,
accurate information and helpful service 24/7. From weather forecasts to
en route information, from Hawaii to Puerto Rico, ensuring flight safety
in the National Airspace System is all a question of how.
And it is the how that makes all the difference.
Click here for more.

VIDEO
OF THE WEEK: FLOAT PLANE TAKEOFF FROM A MOVING TRAILERWhile
we certainly don't recommend this, it does make for an
interesting video. Lee Hilbert and Scott Ross found themselves with a
Cessna 120 (O-290) on Edo floats miles from the nearest lake, and rather
than tow it to the water, they came up with an interesting solution to
get the Cessna airborne. (Click through to watch.) More...

EXCLUSIVE
VIDEO: B-2 SPIRIT STEALTH BOMBER CRASH TECHNICAL REPORTThe crash on takeoff of a 509th Air Wing,
Air Force B-2 Spirit bomber, February 23 operating at Andersen Air Force
Base, Guam, was caused by water in the aircraft's sensors, according to
an Air Combat report issued Thursday. Specifically, moisture in three
port transducer units "distorted data introduced by a B-2 Spirit's air
data system" which led to flawed information entering the bomber's
flight control computers. The aircraft was reacting to inaccurate
airspeed and a "perceived" negative angle of attack. This resulted in an
"uncommanded 30 degree nose-high pitch-up on takeoff," according to the
Air Force. (Click through to watch our video crash report.)
More...

As I taxied to the FBO, a lineperson came out
to meet me and directed me to a tiedown; I didn't have to wander about
the ramp, looking for a place to park. The lineperson helped me with my
baggage and with my ground transportation. When I returned to the FBO a
few days later to depart, I used both the computer-based flight planning
services the FBO made available and the FBO's telephone to contact
Flight Service. ... I was treated as if I were Bill Gates flying my
personal bizjet instead of a piston-engine GA driver who purchased only
54 gallons of 100LL.

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